Military equipment.



A. AA LETHERN. MILITARY EQUIPMENT. APPLlcATloN HLED ocT.25.x911.`

Patented Apr. 22,

IIQSIAQL' UNTTEU STATES PATENT FFTQE.

ALBERT ALEXANDER LETHERN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO MILLS WOVEN CARTRIDGE BELT COMPANY, OF 'WORCES- TER,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS.

MILITARY EQUIPMENT.

neonazi.

Application filed October 25, 1917.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT ALEXANDER LETHERN, a citizen of GreatBritain, residing at London, England, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Military Equipments, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to military equipments and has for its object toeiiect certain improvements in connection with the haversack with a viewto enabling it to be carried on the back as an alternative to beingslung at the side in the usual manner.

A haversack having the invention applied thereto may be used in`conjunction with various types of military equipment comprising bracesand a belt but it is more particularly intended for use with anequipment of the well-known type described in the specification ofBritish Patent No. 23,586 of 1911. Such an equipment comprises a beltand crossed braces the ends of which are connected to the belt, thelatter being composed of a back portion the ends ofwhich are detachablyconnected to cartridge carrying or other equivalent members which formthe front parts of the belt. The ends of the braces are pendant belowthe belt and serve for the attachment of a haversack, waterbottle, orother articles.

According to this invention a haversack which may be so constructed thatit can be either slung in the ordinary manner by attaching it to thependant ends of brace members, is so constructed that it may be mountedon the back and carried as a knapsack by passing the brace membersthrough loops formed on the back or inner wall of the haversack, thebottom corners of which are connected by straps to intermediate pointsin the length of the braces.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the improved haversack as appliedfor example to one construction or' military equipment. In thesedrawings,-

Figure 1 is an elevation of the equipment viewed from the inner side andshowing the position of the haversack when carried on the back.

Fig. 2 is an underside view of the haven sack showing the manner inwhich the lateral straps are disposed when not in use.

To the back or inner wall A of the haver- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented apr. sa, rara Serial No. 198,534.

sack is attached one end of a strap B, the point of attachment beingconveniently toward one side or end of the haversack and near one of theupper corners. This strap B extends horizontally across the back wall ofthe haversack and passes through two loops C and C suitably attached tothe back of the haversack. The end of the strap B is engaged with abuckle D carried on one of the sides or ends A ot the haversack. Thisbuckle D is conveniently placed adjacent to the usual buckle F whichtogether with a similar buckle F at the opposite end A2 of the haversackis usually disposed toward the upper parts of these end portions so thatthese buckles may serve for the purpose of slinging the haversack frombrace members in the ordinary manner. The horizontal strap B thus formstwo loops B, B2, which lie respectively between the point of attachmentof the end of the strap B and the fixed loop C and between the two fixedloops C and C. 0n the bottom A3 of the haversack and toward the back andends thereof are mounted two buckles G and adjacent to these buckles Gbut disposed toward the outer part of the bottom A3 there are two xedloops H. Two separate straps J are provided, each of which carries atone end a flat metal or other ring or loop J so arranged that by passingthe strap through its ring J a loop J2 can be formed, the tree end ofthe strap being then engaged with a buckle G.

The main equipment in the present case comprises a belt composed of aback portion K the ends of which are detachably and adjustably connectedto two cartridge carriers L, L. Two brace members M and M are arrangedso that they cross at the back of the wearer, one end of the brace Mbeing connected to the upper part of the cartridge carrier L while theother end of this brace is attached to the back portion K of the belt bymeans of a buckle K. The other member M is similarly arranged, one endof it being attached to the upper part of the cartridge carrier L whilethe other end of this brace is connected by a buckle K to the backportion K of the belt. The four ends of the brace members are of suchlength that they all hang slightly below the back portion K of the beltand the bottom portions of the cartridge carriers L, L, these pendantportions of the braces serving for the attachment of various articles,such for example as the haversack when the ends of the braces areengaged with the buckles F, F', which as described are arranged at theupper parts of the sides A', A2, of the haversack. Such an equipment,which is the subject of the British patent above mentioned, is wellknownand extensively in use.

When it is desired to mount the improved haversack on the back so thatit may be carried after the fashion `of a knapsack, the horizontal strapB on the back of the haversack is disconnected from the buckle D anddrawn out from the loops C, C'. The said strap B is then passed over oraround the brace member M and again threaded through the fixed loop Cand next passed over the brace member M' and threaded through the X-edloop C', the end of the strap B being finally passed thro-ugh the buckleD whereby it is secured. The brace members M, M', thus pass through theflat loops B', B2, formed by the strap B so that the brace 4members thenlie and are retained closely against the back wall A of the fhaversack.Each strap -J is now passed around a 'brace member -at a point justabove where this brace is attached to a cartridge carrier, the strap Jbeing threaded through its ring J' and the loop J2 so formed being drawnup closely on to the part of the brace member which it surrounds. Theloop -J 2 `on the end of thestrap J constitutes a firm connection to thebrace member and vmay be prevented from shifting along this member byreason `of a part of the strap J in forming the loop J2 being passedbetween the short strap L2 which 'extends from 'the top of the cartridgecarrier, and the part ofthe brace member which after passing through thebuckle on the end of the strap L2 lies on the front side of this shortstrap. The free end of each strap J is then carried'to one ofthe bucklesG positioned toward the end of the bottom A3 of the haversack, the endof the strap being passed through this buckle and thus secured in anadjustable manner. lVhen the equipment with the haversack thus arrangedis worn the weight ofthe haversack is carried partly by the bracemembers which are frictionally held in the loops B', B2, but mainly theweight is carried by the straps J. The pull on these straps J resultingfrom the weight ofthe haversack is 'transmitted to the brace members Mand M' at the intermediate points where the straps J are connected tothese braces, but this pull is counteracted by the weight of thecartridge carriers L and L', which is ldistributed over the shoulders bythe braces in the usual manner and partly balanced by the weight of theback portion of the belt to which the other ends of the braces areattached. In the result the haversack is caried in a manner which iscomfortable to the wearer and without any tendency for it to drop ldownon the wearers back.

When it is desired to -sling the haversack by means of the buckles F,F', from the pendant ends of the brace members in the ordinary manner,the strap B is disengaged from the buckle D and withdrawn from the loopsC, C', thus freeing it from the brace members. 'The strap B is thenagain threaded through the loops C, C', and the buckle D. The two strapsJ are disengaged from the buckles G and respectively drawn through theirrings J and disconnected from the brace members which 4they engage. Eachstrap is vthen passed through one of the fixed loops H on the bottom `ofthe havesack and through its own ring J' the end of the strap beingengaged with the buckle G at the diametrically opposite corner of thebottom A2 of the haversack. The two straps J thus lie across each otherlon the bottom of the haversack, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, where'they are neatly disposed :and yet available for use when required.

Though as more particularly described and illustrated 'the front portionof the belt is formed by cartridge carriers L, L', it will bekunderstood that as in known constructions of such equipment, .for`example where adapted for oflicers use, other carrier members may beIused in place of these cartridge pockets, such 'carrier 4members beingadapted to contain lfield glasses, la revolver and cartridges thereforor Afirst 'aid packets and other articles. Yet again in some cases thebelt may be formed in 'one piece throughout its length with the bracesVM, M', connected thereto by buckles disposed toward the front ends ofsucha fbelit in thesame way las these brace members are lconnected tofthe 105 back portion of "the belt. With either construction ofequipment thfe improved haversack may be used andthe straps J may beconnected tothe front .portions ofthe brace members as in the mannerdescribed.

The several straps and .loops are preferably constructed o'f wovenmaterialbut other material such as leather `may be employed 1in theirconstruction if desired. While Lthe rings J are preferably formed ofmetal 115 they may alternatively be constructed `of loops of the samematerial of which the straps J are made. Other details-of theconstruction and disposition of the parts may be modified as founddesirable.

Vhat visclaimed as the invention is:

1. In a military equipment the combination with a cartridge-carrying orother belt, and crossed braces connected at their ends tothe said belt,of afhaversack having 'con- 125 nected therewith a strap such as Barranged horizontally `on the upper part "of the Vback or inner wall soas to form two loops through which the braces 'are-passed, and havingalso `two detachable straps which run 130 from the bottom corners of thehaversack to intermediate points in the length of the braces as setforth.

2. In a military equipment comprising a belt and crossed brace membersconnected to the back portion of the belt and to the front part of thebelt or the upper parts of carrier members constituting the frontportions of the belt, the combination with said crossed brace members,and a haversack having buckles on its bottom, of a strap attached at oneend to the back or inner wall of the haversack toward one side andrunning through fixed loops on the haversack, the end of the strap beingpassed through a buckle, and two detachable straps each constructed toform a loop at one end adapted to engage a brace member at the front ofthe wearer and at some point in the length of the brace or near itspoint of attachment to a carrier member while the other end of the strapis passed through a buckle on the bottom of the haversack so as totransmit part of the weight of the haversack laterally to a brace memberas set forth.

3. In a military equipmentor the like, the combination with a haversackof means for retaining a pair of stay straps or the like when not inuse, comprising a pair of loops H, H, mounted upon the haversack bottomat opposite corners of the latter and a pair of buckles G, G, applied tothe remaining corners, whereby the said straps may be engaged with thesaid loops and buckles, crossing each other.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT ALEXANDER LETHERN.

Witnesses:

W. J. FRANKE, R. HERITAGE. n

Copies of this patent may be obtained for nve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, JD. G.

